Parenting

Full of helpful advice for families starting to think about their child's bat or bar mitzvah, Bar & Bat Mitzvah For The Interfaith Family will be a helpful primer to all families (not just interfaith!).

Hanukkah Booklet

This booklet explains the history of Hanukkah, the symbolism and significance of lighting candles for eight nights, the blessings that accompany the lighting of the candles, the holiday's foods, the game of dreidels, and more!

Organizations

Connecting Interfaith Families to Jewish Life in Greater Cleveland by providing programs and opportunities for interfaith families to experience Judaism in a variety of venues, meet other interfaith families, and to connect to other Jewish organizations that may serve their needs.

For Program Providers

A great way for Jewish professionals and volunteers who work with and provide programming for people in interfaith relationships to locate resources and trainings to build more welcome into their Jewish communities; connect with and learn from each other; and publicize and enhance their programs and services.

"Different aspects of Passover resonate with different people, but the themes of freedom and liberation make it the most accessible holiday to Jews and non-Jews alike..." [Sholem] members include atheists like Jeffrey Kaye. There are "spiritual humanists" like Alan Blumenfeld, who says he believes in "some sense of supernatural being," and his wife, Katherine James, who calls herself a "pagan Christian." There are young and old, white and black and Asian; about half of Sholem's members are intermarried couples who say the group has welcomed them with open arms.

To Sholem members, Jewish identity is rooted not in religion but in a rich history, culture and tradition. The Sholem haggada, or Seder liturgy, is liberally sprinkled with Yiddish as well as Hebrew and offers scientific as well as traditional explanations for the ritual food: the bitter herbs, it says, are eaten not only to recall the bitterness of slavery but also because in former times such herbs would counteract the effects of spoiled food...

More than a fifth of American Jews say they have no religion but identify themselves as being Jewish...
McLaughlin was also relieved that Sholem welcomed intermarried couples, who are especially common among nonreligious Jews...

The Jewish Outreach Institute (JOI) is an independent, national, trans-denominational organization reaching out to unaffiliated and intermarried families, and helping the organized Jewish community better welcome them in.